United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) Upgraded by Wolfe Research to Outperform Rating

Wolfe Research upgraded shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $147.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock.

UPS has been the topic of several other reports. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.4 %

UPS stock opened at $126.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $108.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. United Parcel Service has a 1-year low of $122.01 and a 1-year high of $161.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $129.90 and its 200-day moving average is $131.37.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,914 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 833.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $282,783,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851,900 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.